You have finished your first year! Summer break can help you think about your year as a whole and hopefully, by exploring this year, you will feel more confident about where you can access support about your employability. 

You may be using the summer to continue exploring the support/services and yourself over the summer by:

• Looking back over the information on this site

• Addressing any questions you might have

• Exploring yourself through the activities on this site and/or through work experience over the summer

• Thinking about the opportunities/options you have during the rest of your degree

Whatever you are doing over the summer, make sure you look at the checklist, activities, and prompts to support you in exploring your employability. 

 Checklist:

• Complete the mySkills assessment 

• Add Development Experience to your mySkills Portfolio

• Explore Placement Year options and Graduate Roles on Career Connect (to give you an idea of your future options)

• Decide what you might want to try next year

• Explore part-time jobs/volunteering opportunities on Career Connect 

• Find out where you can ask questions about your employability and future careers

• Use the activities, guides, and question prompts below to think about your employability 

EXPLORE:

There are lots of options for you to conclude your exploration of your employability this year. As long as you feel confident in finding and using the support/services that are most relevant to you, then you can use these prompts in whatever you think will benefit you the most. 

• mySkills Assessment 

Repeating your mySkills assessment at the end of the year can help you evaluate your skills and development. You might find that your confidence in certain aspects fluctuates; sometimes, progress isn't always about constantly getting better at things. Recognising why you might have dipped in confidence gives you the opportunity to focus on these skills, and this reflection is key to both your personal and professional development. You can also add to your 'my development experiences' to help you keep track of the skills and experiences you have gained this year - this can also be used as a 'live' CV, which can be really helpful in future job applications. 

• Thinking About Future Options

  • Placement Year 

You may be thinking about doing a placement year. To give you an idea of what kind of roles you could apply for, you might want to explore what placements are available to current-year students. The Arts & Humanities Careers Hub has a useful page that explores what a placement might look like. You can also explore the 'Placements & work experience' page on the Careers and Employability Service site to explore placement years. 

• • Year Abroad

Studying abroad may be an option that you want to explore. The Global Opportunities web page has really useful information about Year Abroad, Summer School, and volunteering opportunities. You can also read the benefits of studying or working abroad and explore whether this might be a good option for you. The Arts & Humanities Careers Hub has a page dedicated to international employability opportunities, which might also help you decide if studying or working abroad is right for you. GoinGlobal is also a useful website for exploring international work opportunities. 

• • Internships 

Internships can be found on Career Connect, GoinGlobal, Targetjobs, organisations' websites, and other external sites advertising internships can be found on the Arts & Humanities Careers Hub. You can also explore the 'Placements & work experience' page on the Careers and Employability Service site to explore work experience options.  

• • Graduate Roles

Exploring what graduate roles are available this year can help you understand what your future career options might be and what experience you might need to gain before you apply to these. You can find a list of websites that advertise relevant graduate jobs for Arts and Humanities students on the Arts & Humanities Careers Hub. You can also use Career Connect to explore vacancies, Prospects to explore job role profiles, and Targetjobs to explore job adverts. 

• Your CV 

It is important to feel confident in what a CV is, how to write one, and how to adapt it for a job application. Using this break to explore your CV can give you a headstart in any future job, placement, or internship applications. You can use the activities on this site and the 'CVs and covering letters' page on the Careers and Employability Service site to help you explore your CV. 

• Trying Something New

  • University Activities, Societies, and Volunteering

Using the SU Website, you can explore your options for getting involved with these opportunities over the summer (or next year). You can use these experiences to develop skills, gain experiences, or help with your personal development and add these to future CVs and add them to your 'my development expereinces' on Career Connect. 

• Non-university opportunities

You can also explore volunteering, virtual work experience, and online courses outside the university. You can find relevant opportunities that really appeal to you. It is important to stay safe while looking for opportunities; the Careers and Employability Service has guidance on this web page about how to stay safe.